Michael Scott - "Tom Cringle's Log"

Peter B. Kyne - "The Valley of the Giants"

William Shakespeare - "The Tragedie of Julius Caesar"

Thomas H. Huxley - "On the Relations of Man to the Lower Animals"

The Romany Rye

G >> George Borrow >> The Romany Rye




"As for the rest of my story, it may be briefly told. I followed
the advice of the shopkeeper, and applied to a bookseller who wrote
to his correspondent in London. After a long interval, I was
informed that if I wished to learn Chinese, I must do so through
the medium of French, there being neither Chinese grammar nor
dictionary in our language. I was at first very much disheartened.
I determined, however, at last to gratify my desire of learning
Chinese, even at the expense of learning French. I procured the
books, and in order to qualify myself to turn them to account, took
lessons in French from a little Swiss, the usher of a neighbouring
boarding-school. I was very stupid in acquiring French;
perseverance, however, enabled me to acquire a knowledge sufficient
for the object I had in view. In about two years I began to study
Chinese by myself, through the medium of the French."

"Well," said I, "and how did you get on with the study of the
Chinese?"

And then the old man proceeded to inform me how he got on with the
study of Chinese, enumerated all the difficulties he had had to
encounter; dilating upon his frequent despondency of mind, and
occasionally his utter despair of ever mastering Chinese. He told
me that more than once he had determined upon giving up the study,
but when the misery in his head forthwith returned, to escape from
which he had as often resumed it. It appeared, however, that ten
years elapsed before he was able to use ten of the two hundred and
fourteen keys, which serve to undo the locks of Chinese writing.

"And are you able at present to use the entire number?" I demanded.

"Yes," said the old man; "I can at present use the whole number. I
know the key for every particular lock, though I frequently find
the wards unwilling to give way."

"Has nothing particular occurred to you," said I, "during the time
that you have been prosecuting your studies?"

"During the whole time in which I have been engaged in these
studies," said the old man, "only one circumstance has occurred
which requires any particular mention--the death of my old friend
the surgeon--who was carried off suddenly by a fit of apoplexy.
His death was a great shock to me, and for a time interrupted my
studies. His son, however, who succeeded him, was very kind to me,
and, in some degree, supplied his father's place; and I gradually
returned to my Chinese locks and keys."

"And in applying keys to the Chinese locks you employ your time?"

"Yes," said the old man, "in making out the inscriptions on the
various pieces of porcelain, which I have at different times
procured, I pass my time. The first inscription which I translated
was that on the teapot of my beloved."

"And how many other pieces of porcelain may you have at present in
your possession?"

"About fifteen hundred."

"And how did you obtain them?" I demanded.

"Without much labour," said the old man, "in the neighbouring towns
and villages--chiefly at auctions--of which, about twenty years
ago, there were many in these parts."

"And may I ask your reasons for confining your studies entirely to
the crockery literature of China, when you have all the rest at
your disposal?"

"The inscriptions enable me to pass my time," said the old man;
"what more would the whole literature of China do?"

"And from these inscriptions," said I, "what a book it is in your
power to make, whenever so disposed. 'Translations from the
crockery literature of China.' Such a book would be sure to take;
even glorious John himself would not disdain to publish it." The
old man smiled. "I have no desire for literary distinction," said
he; "no ambition. My original wish was to pass my life in easy,
quiet obscurity, with her whom I loved. I was disappointed in my
wish; she was removed, who constituted my only felicity in this
life; desolation came to my heart, and misery to my head. To
escape from the latter I had recourse to Chinese. By degrees the
misery left my head, but the desolation of the heart yet remains."

"Be of good cheer," said I; "through the instrumentality of this
affliction you have learnt Chinese, and, in so doing, learnt to
practise the duties of hospitality. Who but a man who could read
Runes on a teapot, would have received an unfortunate wayfarer as
you have received me?"

"Well," said the old man, "let us hope that all is for the best. I
am by nature indolent, and, but for this affliction, should,
perhaps, have hardly taken the trouble to do my duty to my fellow-
creatures. I am very, very indolent," said he, slightly glancing
towards the clock; "therefore let us hope that all is for the best;
but, oh! these trials, they are very hard to bear."



CHAPTER XXXV



The Leave-taking--Spirit of the Hearth--What's o'Clock?


The next morning, having breakfasted with my old friend, I went
into the stable to make the necessary preparations for my
departure; there, with the assistance of a stable lad, I cleaned
and caparisoned my horse, and then, returning into the house, I
made the old female attendant such a present as I deemed would be
some compensation for the trouble I had caused. Hearing that the
old gentleman was in his study, I repaired to him. "I am come to
take leave of you," said I, "and to thank you for all the
hospitality which I have received at your hands." The eyes of the
old man were fixed steadfastly on the inscription which I had found
him studying on a former occasion. "At length," he murmured to
himself, "I have it--I think I have it;" and then, looking at me,
he said, "So you are about to depart?"

"Yes," said I, "my horse will be at the front door in a few
minutes; I am glad, however, before I go, to find that you have
mastered the inscription."

"Yes," said the old man, "I believe I have mastered it; it seems to
consist of some verses relating to the worship of the Spirit of the
Hearth."

"What is the Spirit of the Hearth?" said I.

"One of the many demons which the Chinese worship," said the old
man; "they do not worship one God, but many." And then the old man
told me a great many highly-interesting particulars respecting the
demon worship of the Chinese.

After the lapse of at least half an hour I said, "I must not linger
here any longer, however willing. Horncastle is distant, and I
wish to be there to-night. Pray can you inform me what's o'clock?"

The old man, rising, looked towards the clock which hung on the
side of the room at his left hand, on the farther side of the table
at which he was seated.

"I am rather short-sighted," said I, "and cannot distinguish the
number, at that distance."

"It is ten o'clock," said the old man; "I believe somewhat past."

"A quarter, perhaps?"

"Yes," said the old man "a quarter or--"

"Seven minutes, or ten minutes past ten."

"I do not understand you."

"Why, to tell you the truth," said the old man, with a smile,
"there is one thing to the knowledge of which I could never exactly
attain."

"Do you mean to say," said I, "that you do not know what's
o'clock?"

"I can give a guess," said the old man, "to within a few minutes."

"But you cannot tell the exact moment?"

"No," said the old man.

"In the name of wonder," said I, "with that thing there on the wall
continually ticking in your ear, how comes it that you do not know
what's o'clock?"

"Why," said the old man, "I have contented myself with giving a
tolerably good guess; to do more would have been too great
trouble."

"But you have learnt Chinese," said I.

"Yes," said the old man, "I have learnt Chinese."

"Well," said I, "I really would counsel you to learn to know what's
o'clock as soon as possible. Consider what a sad thing it would be
to go out of the world not knowing what's o'clock. A millionth
part of the trouble required to learn Chinese would, if employed,
infallibly teach you to know what's o'clock."

"I had a motive for learning Chinese," said the old man, "the hope
of appeasing the misery in my head. With respect to not knowing
what's o'clock, I cannot see anything particularly sad in the
matter. A man may get through the world very creditably without
knowing what's o'clock. Yet, upon the whole, it is no bad thing to
know what's o'clock--you, of course, do? It would be too good a
joke if two people were to be together, one knowing Armenian and
the other Chinese, and neither knowing what's o'clock. I'll now
see you off."



CHAPTER XXXVI



Arrival at Horncastle--The Inn and Ostlers--The Garret--Figure of a
Man with a Candle.


Leaving the house of the old man who knew Chinese, but could not
tell what was o'clock, I wended my way to Horncastle, which I
reached in the evening of the same day, without having met any
adventure on the way worthy of being marked down in this very
remarkable history.

The town was a small one, seemingly ancient, and was crowded with
people and horses. I proceeded, without delay, to the inn to which
my friend the surgeon had directed me. "It is of no use coming
here," said two or three ostlers, as I entered the yard--"all full-
-no room whatever;" whilst one added in an undertone, "That ere
a'n't a bad-looking horse." "I want to see the master of this
inn," said I, as I dismounted from the horse. "See the master,"
said an ostler--the same who had paid the negative kind of
compliment to the horse--"a likely thing, truly; my master is
drinking wine with some of the grand gentry, and can't be disturbed
for the sake of the like of you." "I bring a letter to him," said
I, pulling out the surgeon's epistle. "I wish you would deliver it
to him," I added, offering a half-crown. "Oh, it's you, is it?"
said the ostler, taking the letter and the half-crown; "my master
will be right glad to see you; why, you ha'n't been here for many a
year; I'll carry the note to him at once." And with these words he
hurried into the house. "That's a nice horse, young man," said
another ostler, "what will you take for it?" to which interrogation
I made no answer. "If you wish to sell him," said the ostler,
coming up to me, and winking knowingly, "I think I and my partners
might offer you a summut under seventy pounds;" to which kind and
half-insinuated offer I made no reply, save by winking in the same
kind of knowing manner in which I observed him wink. "Rather
leary!" said a third ostler. "Well, young man, perhaps you will
drink to-night with me and my partners, when we can talk the matter
over." Before I had time to answer, the landlord, a well-dressed,
good-looking man, made his appearance with the ostler; he bore the
letter in his hand. Without glancing at me, he betook himself at
once to consider the horse, going round him, and observing every
point with the utmost minuteness. At last, having gone round the
horse three times, he stopped beside me, and keeping his eyes on
the horse, bent his head towards his right shoulder. "That horse
is worth some money," said he, turning towards me suddenly, and
slightly touching me on the arm with the letter which he held in
his hand; to which observation I made no reply, save by bending my
head towards the right shoulder as I had seen him do. "The young
man is going to talk to me and my partners about it to-night," said
the ostler who had expressed an opinion that he and his friends
might offer me somewhat under seventy pounds for the animal.
"Pooh!" said the landlord, "the young man' knows what he is about;
in the meantime lead the horse to the reserved stall, and see well
after him. My friend," said he, taking me aside after the ostler
had led the animal away, "recommends you to me in the strongest
manner, on which account alone I take you and your horse in. I
need not advise you not to be taken in, as I should say, by your
look, that you are tolerably awake; but there are queer hands at
Horncastle at this time, and those fellows of mine, you understand
me--; but I have a great deal to do at present, so you must excuse
me." And thereupon went into the house.

That same evening I was engaged at least two hours in the stable,
in rubbing the horse down, and preparing him for the exhibition
which I intended he should make in the fair on the following day.
The ostler, to whom I had given the half-crown, occasionally
assisted me, though he was too much occupied by the horses of other
guests to devote any length of time to the service of mine; he more
than once repeated to me his firm conviction that himself and
partners could afford to offer me summut for the horse; and at a
later hour when, in compliance with his invitation, I took a glass
of summut with himself and partners, in a little room surrounded
with corn-chests, on which we sat, both himself and partners
endeavoured to impress upon me, chiefly by means of nods and winks,
their conviction that they could afford to give me summut for the
horse, provided I were disposed to sell him; in return for which
intimation, with as many nods and winks as they had all
collectively used, I endeavoured to impress upon them my conviction
that I could get summut handsomer in the fair than they might be
disposed to offer me, seeing as how--which how I followed by a wink
and a nod, which they seemed perfectly to understand, one or two of
them declaring that if the case was so, it made a great deal of
difference, and that they did not wish to be any hindrance to me,
more particularly as it was quite clear I had been an ostler like
themselves.

It was late at night when I began to think of retiring to rest. On
inquiring if there was any place in which I could sleep, I was
informed that there was a bed at my service, provided I chose to
sleep in a two-bedded room, one of the beds of which was engaged by
another gentleman. I expressed my satisfaction at this
arrangement, and was conducted by a maid-servant up many pairs of
stairs to a garret, in which were two small beds, in one of which
she gave me to understand another gentleman slept; he had, however,
not yet retired to rest; I asked who he was, but the maid-servant
could give me no information about him, save that he was a highly
respectable gentleman, and a friend of her master's. Presently,
bidding me good night, she left me with a candle; and I, having
undressed myself and extinguished the light, went to bed.
Notwithstanding the noises which sounded from every part of the
house, I was not slow in falling asleep, being thoroughly tired. I
know not how long I might have been in bed, perhaps two hours, when
I was partially awakened by a light shining upon my face,
whereupon, unclosing my eyes, I perceived the figure of a man, with
a candle in one hand, staring at my face, whilst with the other
hand, he held back the curtain of the bed. As I have said before,
I was only partially awakened, my power of conception was
consequently very confused; it appeared to me, however, that the
man was dressed in a green coat; that he had curly brown or black
hair, and that there was something peculiar in his look. Just as I
was beginning to recollect myself, the curtain dropped, and I
heard, or thought I heard, a voice say, "Don't know the cove."
Then there was a rustling like a person undressing, whereupon being
satisfied that it was my fellow-lodger, I dropped asleep, but was
awakened again by a kind of heavy plunge upon the other bed, which
caused it to rock and creak, when I observed that the light had
been extinguished, probably blown out, if I might judge from a
rather disagreeable smell of burnt wick which remained in the room,
and which kept me awake till I heard my companion breathing hard,
when, turning on the other side, I was again once more speedily in
the arms of slumber.



CHAPTER XXXVII



Horncastle Fair.


It had been my intention to be up and doing early on the following
morning, but my slumbers proved so profound, that I did not wake
until about eight; on arising, I again found myself the sole
occupant of the apartment, my more alert companion having probably
risen at a much earlier hour. Having dressed myself, I descended,
and going to the stable, found my horse under the hands of my
friend the ostler, who was carefully rubbing him down. "There
a'n't a better horse in the fair," said he to me, "and as you are
one of us, and appear to be all right, I'll give you a piece of
advice--don't take less than a hundred and fifty for him; if you
mind your hits, you may get it, for I have known two hundred given
in this fair for one no better, if so good." "Well," said I,
"thank you for your advice, which I will take, and, if successful,
will give you 'summut' handsome." "Thank you," said the ostler;
"and now let me ask whether you are up to all the ways of this here
place?" "I have never been here before," said I, "but I have a
pair of tolerably sharp eyes in my head." "That I see you have,"
said the ostler, "but many a body, with as sharp a pair of eyes as
yourn, has lost his horse in this fair, for want of having been
here before, therefore," said he, "I'll give you a caution or two."
Thereupon the ostler proceeded to give me at least half a dozen
cautions, only two of which I shall relate to the reader: --the
first, not to stop to listen to what any chance customer might have
to say; and the last--the one on which he appeared to lay most
stress--by no manner of means to permit a Yorkshireman to get up
into the saddle, "for," said he, "if you do, it is three to one
that he rides off with the horse; he can't help it; trust a cat
amongst cream, but never trust a Yorkshireman on the saddle of a
good horse; by-the-by," he continued, "that saddle of yours is not
a particularly good one, no more is the bridle. I tell you what,
as you seem a decent kind of a young chap, I'll lend you a saddle
and bridle of my master's, almost bran new; he won't object, I
know, as you are a friend of his, only you must not forget your
promise to come down with summut handsome after you have sold the
animal."

After a slight breakfast I mounted the horse, which, decked out in
his borrowed finery, really looked better by a large sum of money
than on any former occasion. Making my way out of the yard of the
inn, I was instantly in the principal street of the town, up and
down which an immense number of horses were being exhibited, some
led, and others with riders. "A wonderful small quantity of good
horses in the fair this time!" I heard a stout jockey-looking
individual say, who was staring up the street with his side towards
me. "Halloo, young fellow!" said he, a few moments after I had
passed, "whose horse is that? Stop! I want to look at him!"
Though confident that he was addressing himself to me, I took no
notice, remembering the advice of the ostler, and proceeded up the
street. My horse possessed a good walking step; but walking, as
the reader knows, was not his best pace, which was the long trot,
at which I could not well exercise him in the street, on account of
the crowd of men and animals; however, as he walked along, I could
easily perceive that he attracted no slight attention amongst those
who, by their jockey dress and general appearance, I imagined to be
connoisseurs; I heard various calls to stop, to none of which I
paid the slightest attention. In a few minutes I found myself out
of the town, when, turning round for the purpose of returning, I
found I had been followed by several of the connoisseur-looking
individuals, whom I had observed in the fair. "Now would be the
time for a display," thought I; and looking around me I observed
two five-barred gates, one on each side of the road, and fronting
each other. Turning my horse's head to one, I pressed my heels to
his sides, loosened the reins, and gave an encouraging cry,
whereupon the animal cleared the gate in a twinkling. Before he
had advanced ten yards in the field to which the gate opened, I had
turned him round, and again giving him cry and rein, I caused him
to leap back again into the road, and still allowing him head, I
made him leap the other gate; and forthwith turning him round, I
caused him to leap once more into the road, where he stood proudly
tossing his head, as much as to say, "What more?" "A fine horse! a
capital horse!" said several of the connoisseurs. "What do you ask
for him?" "Too much for any of you to pay," said I. "A horse like
this is intended for other kind of customers than any of you."
"How do you know that?" said one; the very same person whom I had
heard complaining in the street of the paucity of good horses in
the fair. "Come, let us know what you ask for him?" "A hundred
and fifty pounds!" said I; "neither more nor less." "Do you call
that a great price?" said the man. "Why, I thought you would have
asked double that amount! You do yourself injustice, young man."
"Perhaps I do," said I, "but that's my affair; I do not choose to
take more." "I wish you would let me get into the saddle," said
the man; "the horse knows you, and therefore shows to more
advantage; but I should like to see how he would move under me, who
am a stranger. Will you let me get into the saddle, young man?"
"No," said I; "I will not let you get into the saddle." "Why not?"
said the man. "Lest you should be a Yorkshireman," said I; "and
should run away with the horse." "Yorkshire?" said the man; "I am
from Suffolk; silly Suffolk--so you need not be afraid of my
running away with the horse." "Oh! if that's the case," said I, "I
should be afraid that the horse would run away with you; so I will
by no means let you mount." "Will you let me look in his mouth?"
said the man. "If you please," said I; "but I tell you, he's apt
to bite." "He can scarcely be a worse bite than his master," said
the man, looking into the horse's mouth; "he's four off. I say,
young man, will you warrant this horse?" "No," said I; "I never
warrant horses; the horses that I ride can always warrant
themselves." "I wish you would let me speak a word to you," said
he. "Just come aside. It's a nice horse," said he, in a half
whisper, after I had ridden a few paces aside with him. "It's a
nice horse," said he, placing his hand upon the pommel of the
saddle, and looking up in my face, "and I think I can find you a
customer. If you would take a hundred, I think my lord would
purchase it, for he has sent me about the fair to look him up a
horse, by which he could hope to make an honest penny." "Well,"
said I, "and could he not make an honest penny, and yet give me the
price I ask?" "Why," said the go-between, "a hundred and fifty
pounds is as much as the animal is worth, or nearly so; and my
lord, do you see--" "I see no reason at all," said I, "why I
should sell the animal for less than he is worth, in order that his
lordship may be benefited by him; so that if his lordship wants to
make an honest penny, he must find some person who would consider
the disadvantage of selling him a horse for less than it is worth,
as counterbalanced by the honour of dealing with a lord, which I
should never do; but I can't be wasting my time here. I am going
back to the -, where, if you, or any person, are desirous of
purchasing the horse, you must come within the next half hour, or I
shall probably not feel disposed to sell him at all." "Another
word, young man," said the jockey; but without staying to hear what
he had to say, I put the horse to his best trot, and re-entering
the town, and threading my way as well as I could through the
press, I returned to the yard of the inn, where, dismounting, I
stood still, holding the horse by the bridle.

I had been standing in this manner about five minutes, when I saw
the jockey enter the yard, accompanied by another individual. They
advanced directly towards me. "Here is my lord come to look at the
horse, young man," said the jockey. My lord, as the jockey called
him, was a tall figure, of about five-and-thirty. He had on his
head a hat somewhat rusty, and on his back a surtout of blue rather
the worse for wear. His forehead, if not high, was exceedingly
narrow; his eyes were brown, with a rat-like glare in them; the
nose was rather long, and the mouth very wide; the cheek-bones
high, and the cheeks, as to hue and consistency, exhibiting very
much the appearance of a withered red apple; there was a gaunt
expression of hunger in the whole countenance. He had scarcely
glanced at the horse, when drawing in his cheeks, he thrust out his
lips very much after the manner of a baboon, when he sees a piece
of sugar held out towards him. "Is this horse yours?" said he,
suddenly turning towards me, with a kind of smirk. "It's my
horse," said I; "are you the person who wishes to make an honest
penny by it?" "How!" said he, drawing up his head with a very
consequential look, and speaking with a very haughty tone, "what do
you mean?" We looked at each other full in the face; after a few
moments, the muscles of the mouth of him of the hungry look began
to move violently, the face was puckered into innumerable wrinkles,
and the eyes became half closed. "Well," said I, "have you ever
seen me before? I suppose you are asking yourself that question."
"Excuse me, sir," said he, dropping his lofty look, and speaking in
a very subdued and civil tone, "I have never had the honour of
seeing you before, that is"--said he, slightly glancing at me
again, and again moving the muscles of his mouth, "no, I have never
seen you before," he added, making me a bow. "I have never had
that pleasure; my business with you, at present, is to inquire the
lowest price you are willing to take for this horse. My agent here
informs me that you ask one hundred and fifty pounds, which I
cannot think of giving--the horse is a showy horse, but look, my
dear sir, he has a defect here, and there in his near fore leg I
observe something which looks very like a splint--yes, upon my
credit," said he, touching the animal, "he has a splint, or
something which will end in one. A hundred and fifty pounds, sir!
what could have induced you ever to ask anything like that for this
animal? I protest that, in my time, I have frequently bought a
better for-- Who are you, sir? I am in treaty for this horse,"
said he to a man who had come up whilst he was talking, and was now
looking into the horse's mouth. "Who am I?" said the man, still
looking into the horse's mouth; "who am I? his lordship asks me.
Ah, I see, close on five," said he, releasing the horse's jaws, and
looking at me. This new corner was a thin, wiry-made individual,
with wiry curling brown hair; his face was dark, and wore an arch
and somewhat roguish expression; upon one of his eyes was a kind of
speck or beam; he might be about forty, wore a green jockey coat,
and held in his hand a black riding whip, with a knob of silver
wire. As I gazed upon his countenance, it brought powerfully to my
mind the face which, by the light of the candle, I had seen staring
over me on the preceding night, when lying in bed and half asleep.
Close beside him, and seemingly in his company, stood an
exceedingly tall figure, that of a youth, seemingly about one-and-
twenty, dressed in a handsome riding dress, and wearing on his head
a singular hat, green in colour, and with a very high peak. "What
do you ask for this horse?" said he of the green coat, winking at
me with the eye which had a beam in it, whilst the other shone and
sparkled like Mrs. Colonel W-'s Golconda diamond. "Who are you,
sir, I demand once more?" said he of the hungry look. "Who am I?
why, who should I be but Jack Dale, who buys horses for himself and
other folk; I want one at present for this short young gentleman,"
said he, motioning with his finger to the gigantic youth. "Well,
sir," said the other, "and what business have you to interfere
between me and any purchase I may be disposed to make?" "Well,
then," said the other, "be quick and purchase the horse, or,
perhaps, I may." "Do you think I am to be dictated to by a fellow
of your description?" said his lordship, "begone, or--" "What do
you ask for this horse?" said the other to me, very coolly. "A
hundred and fifty," said I. "I shouldn't mind giving it to you,"
said he. "You will do no such thing," said his lordship, speaking
so fast that he almost stuttered. "Sir," said he to me, "I must
give you what you ask; Symmonds, take possession of the animal for
me," said he to the other jockey who attended him. "You will
please to do no such thing without my consent," said I, "I have not
sold him." "I have this moment told you that I will give you the
price you demand," said his lordship; "is not that sufficient?"
"No," said I, "there is a proper manner of doing everything--had
you come forward in a manly and gentlemanly manner to purchase the
horse, I should have been happy to sell him to you, but after all
the fault you have found with him, I would not sell him to you at
any price, so send your friend to find up another." "You behave in
this manner, I suppose," said his lordship, "because this fellow
has expressed a willingness to come to your terms. I would advise
you to be cautious how you trust the animal in his hands; I think I
have seen him before, and could tell you--" "What can you tell of
me?" said the other, going up to him; "except that I have been a
poor dicky-boy, and that now I am a dealer in horses, and that my
father was lagged; that's all you could tell of me, and that I
don't mind telling myself: but there are two things they can't say
of me, they can't say that I am either a coward or a screw either,
except so far as one who gets his bread by horses may be expected
to be; and they can't say of me that I ever ate up an ice which a
young woman was waiting for, or that I ever backed out of a fight.
Horse!" said he, motioning with his finger tauntingly to the other;
"what do you want with a horse, except to take the bread out of the
mouth of a poor man--to-morrow is not the battle of Waterloo, so
that you don't want to back out of danger, by pretending to have
hurt yourself by falling from the creature's back, my lord of the
white feather--come, none of your fierce looks--I am not afraid of
you." In fact, the other had assumed an expression of the
deadliest malice, his teeth were clenched, his lips quivered, and
were quite pale; the rat-like eyes sparkled, and he made a half
spring, a la rat, towards his adversary, who only laughed.
Restraining himself, however, he suddenly turned to his
understrapper, saying, "Symmonds, will you see me thus insulted? go
and trounce this scoundrel; you can, I know." "Symmonds trounce
me!" said the other, going up to the person addressed, and drawing
his hand contemptuously over his face; "why, I beat Symmonds in
this very yard in one round three years ago; didn't I, Symmonds?"
said he to the understrapper, who held down his head, muttering, in
a surly tone, "I didn't come here to fight; let every one take his
own part." "That's right, Symmonds," said the other, "especially
every one from whom there is nothing to be got. I would give you
half-a-crown for all the trouble you have had, provided I were not
afraid that my Lord Plume there would get it from you as soon as
you leave the yard together. Come, take yourselves both off;
there's nothing to be made here." Indeed, his lordship seemed to
be of the same opinion, for after a further glance at the horse, a
contemptuous look at me, and a scowl at the jockey, he turned on
his heel, muttering something which sounded like fellows, and
stalked out of the yard, followed by Symmonds.

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